Peter Schorsch
Good Friday morning.
I am tired but excited. One week left to Legislative Session and “The Batman” has debuted.
I am headed to the show, as my dad described going to the movies, this afternoon. Please, may I just have this moment to watch The Dark Knight do his thing. Keep the 5 o’clock news dump to a minimum.
Thank you.
Here are a few last-minute reads about “The Batman”:
“The Batman brings the caped crusader back to his detective roots” via Alex Abad-Santos of Vox — Reeves turns down the lights and lowers the stakes for a classic story: Batman needs to find a murderer with a passion for blood and riddles. In doing so, he explores the hero’s worldview and personality, showcasing his guilt, doubts, and spirit that recent movies like Justice League and Batman v. Superman overlook. Those blockbusters tend to shortchange Batman’s skills — investigation, planning, strategizing — because they’re not as sexy compared to his teammates’ superheroic powers. Reeves, on the other hand, has made a detective noir flick that fluently understands the caped crusader’s skills and weaknesses. The result is a Batman movie with far less spectacle. But the exchange is welcome.
“Weekend box office forecast: The Batman paces for second $100m+ pandemic debut with potential for much more” via Shawn Robbins of Box Office Pro — The film is tracking to become just the sixth March release to ever post more than $100 million for its domestic opening weekend, with the universe of metrics and pre-sales both indicating much more is likely. It would be the second film of the pandemic to cross that threshold after Spider-Man: No Way Home. Matt Reeves’ vision for “Year Two” of Bruce Wayne’s progression into the Batman persona has been tracking remarkably well in the lead-up to release, and strong reviews are now in play, backing it for a final push of momentum. Our social gauges have seen upticks since the review embargo came down Monday, further bolstering strong positive sentiment.
“Robert Pattinson ‘counted ‘sips of water’ to film ‘Batman’ shirtless scenes” via Brooke Kato of the New York Post — To play a death-defying, mysterious hunk takes intense preparation, including a strict diet. In fact, he undertook “months” of physical preparation for the acclaimed role. “I had about three months before the movie started, and then you’re working out before and after work all the time,” he told People on “The Batman” premiere red carpet Tuesday night. “You just cut down and cut down and cut down before the couple of scenes with your shirt off, and you’re counting sips of water.” He said that going shirtless in the movie was motivation to look his best. “Shame is my biggest motivator, 100%,” he joked.
“‘The Batman’ made me feel miserable about living in crime-ridden NYC” via Johnny Oleksinski of the New York Post — These days, horrid acts appear on the evening news almost every night. Subway assaults and violent crimes against Asian New Yorkers have become an intolerably regular part of city life during the past year. It’s distressing and terrifying. Fine. But I don’t want to think about all that during a movie about a billionaire who dresses in a tight-fitting bat costume and has a British butler named Alfred. And yet so much of “The Batman” could’ve been narrated by news anchor Pat Kiernan. When I arrive at an 8 p.m. movie and take my seat, I want what’s on-screen to help me forget about what’s right outside the door because there’s no masked billionaire to protect us here.
—”‘The Batman’ is the ‘Se7en’ of superhero movies” via Drew Magary of SFGate
___
Florida’s political press corps will look slightly different this election cycle and next Legislative Session.
David Smiley announced Thursday that he’s leaving the Sunshine State for Washington. The longtime reporter has covered schools, crime, and various city halls during his time at the Miami Herald, where he has worked for the past 16 years, including the past three as its political reporter.
The next chapter of his career starts March 14, when he takes over McClatchy’s DC editor.
“Really excited to work with our team in DC and get back into national politics,” he tweeted alongside a link for those angling to take his old job as the Herald’s local government editor.
Jeffrey Schweers, meanwhile, announced Thursday that his tenure as the USA TODAY Network-Florida’s statehouse reporter would end March 11.
Schweers has held the statehouse reporter position for three years and has covered goings-on across the state for the better part of 35 years. He’s not going anywhere, though — he’ll start his new gig as the Orlando Sentinel’s Tallahassee reporter March 14.
“I’ll be covering the same issues, keeping an eye on state government and reporting on the upcoming elections,” he said on Twitter.
— SITUATIONAL AWARENESS —
—@RyanStruyk: 55% of Democrats say (Joe) Biden should run again in 2024 via new Fox poll vs. 39% of Democrats who say he should not. Among other groups: 64% of Black voters, 47% of Hispanic voters, 34% under 35 years, 33% of suburban voters, and 23% of independents say he should run again in 2024.
—@FLCaseyDeSantis: There are no words to express how truly blessed, grateful, and humbled I am to hear the words cancer-free. To those who are in the fight, know there is hope. Have faith and stay strong.
Tweet, tweet:
It's been incredible to watch this policy go from vision to reality. Proud to stand with @GovRonDeSantis. 🎉 pic.twitter.com/OhNeFe9bfx
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) March 3, 2022
—@Jack — Petocz: I organized the statewide #DSGWalkout today in response to attempts to silence and erase the LGBTQ+ community in Florida. I was indefinitely suspended from my school for organizing a peaceful rally
Tweet, tweet:
It was a great honor for us to witness the recognition of the friendship between #Florida and #PuertoRico in the @FLSenate. Thank you @SenatorAMR for sponsoring SR1690! Thank you to @WiltonSimpson, the Secretary Debbie Brown, and @FLSenate for adopting this Resolution! #FlaPol https://t.co/E7vzff26Ma pic.twitter.com/AChHQ5fiGp
— Michael S Torres (@MichaelSTorres2) March 1, 2022
Tweet, Tweet:
Thank You to the Florida House for allowing Johnny serve today in the legislature as a page, he learned so much! Johnny knew off the top of his head a dozen legislators that were nice to him, thank you for kindness to my baby. #FloridaIsForWinners #flapol pic.twitter.com/22oCVnFvB5
— Jimmy Patronis (@JimmyPatronis) March 3, 2022
Tweet, tweet:
“Reject the Strawberry Shortcake, embrace the Cannoli”. It’s time for the “Cannoli Caucus” to take on powerful special interests. #paesan #Godfather #flapol pic.twitter.com/LgSxUl3cTY
— Blaise Ingoglia 🇺🇦 (@GovGoneWild) March 3, 2022
—@MayorDaniella: Effective immediately, I have ordered all Russian flags be removed from Miami International Airport.
—@VoteJustice: Beginning Friday March 4th, the Skyway will be lit in Blue & Yellow, the colors of the Ukraine flag. In accordance with state policy, the counties surrounding the Skyway have each filed requests with the State Department of Transportation.
Tweet, tweet:
WTF is this abomination?
Hey @SpeakerPelosi, I have a better idea. Want to hear it? Cool.
Why not hold up an AMERICAN flag AND a Ukrainian flag side-by-side? It's not that hard. FFS. pic.twitter.com/P8xNchUHW2— Christian 🇺🇲🇺🇦 (@ChristianCamara) March 3, 2022
— DAYS UNTIL —
The 2022 Players begins — 4; Sarasota County votes to renew the special 1-mill property tax for the school district — 4; House GOP retreat in Ponte Vedra Beach — 19; the third season of ‘Atlanta’ begins — 19; season two of ‘Bridgerton’ begins — 21; The Oscars — 23; ‘Macbeth’ with Daniel Craig and Ruth Negga begin performances on Broadway — 25; Florida Chamber’s 2nd Annual Southeastern Leadership Conference on Safety, Health + Sustainability begins — 26; Grammys rescheduled in Las Vegas — 30; ‘Better Call Saul’ final season begins — 45; Magic Johnson’s Apple TV+ docuseries ‘They Call Me Magic’ begins — 49; 2022 Florida Chamber Transportation, Growth & Infrastructure Solution Summit — 55; ‘The Godfather’ TV series ‘The Offer’ premieres — 55; 2nd half of ‘Ozark’ final season begins — 56; federal student loan payments will resume — 58; ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ premieres — 63; Florida TaxWatch’s Spring Meeting — 68; ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ starts on Disney+ — 82; ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ premieres — 84; ‘Platinum Jubilee’ for Queen Elizabeth II — 90; California, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota hold midterm Primaries — 95; ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ premieres — 127; San Diego Comic-Con 2022 — 140; Michael Mann and Meg Gardiner novel ‘Heat 2’ publishes — 158; ‘The Lord of the Rings’ premieres on Amazon Prime — 182; ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ sequel premieres — 217; ‘Black Panther 2’ premieres — 253; ‘The Flash’ premieres — 256; ‘Avatar 2′ premieres — 288; ‘Captain Marvel 2′ premieres — 352; ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’ premieres — 385; ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ premieres — 511; ‘Dune: Part Two’ premieres — 595; Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games — 875.
— FLORIDA REACTS TO UKRAINE CRISIS —
“Ron DeSantis says ‘impotence’ of Joe Biden administration emboldened Vladimir Putin” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics — DeSantis, appearing at a news conference in Panama City, ascribed Russian adventurism to “impotence” in the Biden administration in his latest commentary on Ukraine. Russian President Putin “would probably not have done this if he thought that the United States was strong,” DeSantis asserted. “But I think that he thinks that the United States is weak because of the impotence of the Biden administration, and he’s doing some really bad stuff right now, and it’s sad to see,” DeSantis said. He described Putin as “sitting on a bunch of gas and oil.”
“Charlie Crist continues taunting DeSantis over Russia, Ukraine” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics — Crist again denounced DeSantis for not condemning Russia’s war on Ukraine or making statements of support for Ukraine. Crist, a former Governor who currently serves in the U.S. House, charged that DeSantis put his partisan political ambitions ahead of supporting democracy. Crist argued DeSantis’ failure to weigh in sufficiently is “unacceptable and unpatriotic.” He also criticized DeSantis for not making moves to divest Florida investments from Russian assets, first urged by Crist’s Democratic Primary Election opponent, Nikki Fried.
“Florida House avoids voting to divest from Russia over Ukraine invasion” via Lawrence Mower of the Tampa Bay Times — The House on Thursday avoided taking a stance on divesting the state’s $300 million in investments in Russian companies. During a floor session, state Rep. Andrew Learned proposed amending a bill to prohibit the State Board of Administration from investing Florida Retirement System assets in any company, Russian or otherwise, that does business with the Russian government. The move was in response to Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine. Republican lawmakers, who control the House, ruled the amendment out of order on a technicality.
Mayo Building to light up blue and yellow in support of Ukraine — Agriculture Commissioner Fried announced Thursday that the FDACS Mayo Building would be lit with blue and yellow lights for the next two weeks in solidarity with the people of Ukraine. “While we are in awe of the strength of those in Ukraine who are quite literally laying their lives on the line to protect their homeland and their freedom, our global community must remain united in our condemnation of Putin’s unprovoked invasion and continued acts of war,” Fried said. “From divesting from Russian-backed entities to displaying their colors proudly, we will continue to take actions — whether large or small, individual or collective — to show our solidarity with the Ukrainian people and send a strong message of condemnation to Putin and his authoritarian regime that we will not stand for attacks on free states and free people.”
“Florida companies remove Russian-made products in support of Ukraine” via WTSP — In a move to show solidarity, grocery giant Publix has removed all Russian-made vodka brands from its shelves — that includes Beluga, Ruskova, Russian Standard and Zyr. “Publix stands with the people of Ukraine. To show our support, we have decided to remove Russian-made vodka brands from our shelves. This is inclusive of all our liquor stores,” Publix said in a statement. Southeastern Grocers, the parent company for Winn-Dixie, Fresco y Más and Harveys Supermarket, is also taking a stance by donating $250,000 to the International Committee of the Red Cross in support of Ukraine. It adds that 100% of the proceeds from its private-label Ukrainian vodka will also be donated to the cause for 31 days.
“‘Great day’: Senate Republicans drag 15-week abortion ban to Gov. Ron DeSantis” via Jason Delgado of Florida Politics — The Senate passed the proposal (HB 5) on a 23-15 party-line vote, marking the end of a monthslong battle between Republicans and outnumbered Democrats. Next and final stop: DeSantis’ desk. Republican lawmakers did not surrender an inch. They accepted no amendments to the bill, including one proposed Wednesday to insert a rape or incest exception by Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book, a sexual assault survivor. Book made an impassioned plea to the GOP-controlled Senate, sharing she was raped and drugged by men as a young girl. Senate President Wilton Simpson, though, defended the Republican majority’s decision on Thursday. A Trilby Republican, he argued Sen. Kelli Stargel — the bill sponsor — made a reasonable argument Wednesday against it.
“Florida Supreme Court approves legislative maps for 2022 election” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics — The automatic review of cartography crafted and approved by the Florida Legislature closes a once-a-decade redistricting process, at least for state legislative lines. The court gave its stamp of approval to a new Senate map (S 8058) with 40 districts and a House map (H 2013) with 120 seats. A partisan performance analysis by MCI Maps shows the Senate map includes 23 districts where a plurality or majority voted for Donald Trump in the 2020 Presidential Election, and 17 where voters picked Biden. The state went to Trump by three percentage points. Currently, the Senate has 24 Republican members and 15 Democrats, with one vacancy in a Democrat-leaning seat. Every seat in the Senate goes up for election following redistricting, and a lottery system sets the numbering for districts, which determines which races will be for two-year or four-year terms.
“Wilton Simpson signals openness to House’s congressional redistricting map” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics — “I believe the House maps are in order,” the Trilby Republican said. “I believe it’s constitutional. I believe the Speaker and his team have done a tremendous job putting that map together. And so I don’t see any reason why we wouldn’t pass that now.” The House debated two maps on the House floor. The primary map (H 8019) notably would reconfigure a North Florida district, represented now by Tallahassee Democratic Rep. Al Lawson. While a map (S 8060) approved by the Senate in January leaves in place a district spanning from Tallahassee to Jacksonville, the House map would replace that with a Jacksonville area seat that doesn’t reach outside Duval County’s borders, but which House officials believe would still let Black voters control the Democratic primary. Simpson would not commit fully to approving the House map.
“DeSantis presses Legislature to pass doctor ‘free speech’ bill” via Kirby Wilson and Emily L. Mahoney of the Tampa Bay Times — The Governor called on legislators to pass a measure that he says would protect doctors’ ability to express themselves freely without fear of reprisal from the boards that regulate the medical profession. “You’re not going to have good medicine practice if people are fearful of doing things that the evidence is telling them to do, just because it may conflict with the narrative,” DeSantis said Thursday. Two measures (SB 1184/HB 687) appeared to die earlier this week when committees in the House and Senate met for the last time without hearing the bills. But the measures could still be amended onto other pieces of legislation, passed by the House and Senate, then signed into law. The 60-day Legislative Session is scheduled to end on March 11.
“Senate passes bill to replace FSA, a DeSantis priority” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics — Students could soon say goodbye to the Florida Standards Assessment, a rare issue that unifies teachers, students, and DeSantis. The Senate voted unanimously Thursday to pass legislation (SB 1048) that would replace the annual standardized testing with a computer-based progress monitoring screening in English language arts and mathematics. The progress monitoring, spaced three times a year, would begin in the 2022-23 school year for students in prekindergarten through 10th grade. Sen. Manny Díaz Jr. sponsors the bill, which originated after DeSantis rolled out the proposal in September.
“Senate passes property insurance bill but Speaker is skeptical” via Gray Rohrer of Florida Politics — The Senate on Thursday passed SB 1728, a bill aimed at reducing property insurers’ costs related to claims, a measure supporters say is needed to halt rampant rate increases for homeowners, but derided by opponents as a risky measure that will boost costs for homeowners while reducing the coverage they receive. The vote was 28-11, with five Democrats joining Republicans in support. Sen. Gary Farmer led opposition to the measure, saying he was doubtful it will lower rates for homeowners and could hamper their ability to get a claim paid to repair their home. “It’s always a different excuse for the insurance industry,” Farmer said. “You’re talking about people’s biggest investment in their lives.”
“House preps for vote on collegiate presidential search exemption bill” via Kelly Hayes of Florida Politics — The Florida House is one vote away from deciding the fate of legislation that would provide a public records exemption for information about applicants seeking state higher ed presidential positions. The lower chamber heard the Senate version of the bill (SB 520) for the second time. Now, the House is prepped for a vote on the legislation championed by Sen. Jeff Brandes. The Senate already cleared the bill in a near party-line 28-11 vote, with Democrats mostly opposing the legislation. Sam Garrison, who sponsored the House version (HB 703), presented the proposal to the House. The bill would create a public records exemption applicable to the pool of public university and college Presidential applicants. Information on selected finalists would be made available, however.
“Legislature passes memorial asking President to press for U.N. meeting on Cuba atrocities” via Anne Geggis of Florida Politics — The Legislature has signed off on asking Biden and Congress to enlist the United Nations in stopping atrocities and genocide in Cuba. Spurred by the uprising in Cuba last July when protesters took to the streets, and the crackdown that followed, Rep. Tom Fabricio introduced the measure (CS/HM 43) ahead of the 2022 Session. It was adopted by House resolution on Feb. 9. Sen. Ileana Garcia took it up in front of the Senate, which approved it Thursday. “The Cuban government continues to repress all peaceful attempts by the Cuban people to bring democratic change to the island nation by denying universally recognized civil liberties,” Garcia said. The legislation urges the President and Congress to call an emergency meeting with the U.N. Security Council to address the crackdown.
— BUDGET NOTES —
“Hospital leaders concerned as lawmakers plan to cut Medicaid funding” via Caroline Catherman of the Orlando Sentinel — “What is the problem that they’re trying to fix? The state has over $6 billion in unbudgeted excess revenue,” said Mary Mayhew, President and CEO of the Florida Hospital Association. Medicaid is health insurance for poor or disabled Floridians. Hospitals provide care for Medicaid patients then get reimbursed by the state and federal government. The reimbursement often doesn’t cover the full cost of providing care, and hospitals make up for that loss in part with supplemental programs that cover the difference. DeSantis’ budget proposal for the 2022-23 fiscal year included nearly $310 million for “critical care” funding, which has for years given extra money to 28 hospitals that serve 73% of very sick children and 33% of very sick adult patients on Medicaid.
“Legislature poised to allow Department of Health to spend potential new COVID-19 funds” via Christine Jordan Sexton of Florida Politics — Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo, who House Democrats criticized for not prioritizing spending to battle COVID-19, could be given the power to tap into extra federal money sent to Florida to deal with the pandemic. Rep. Bryan Ávila, the chief health care budget negotiator for the House, agreed on Thursday to let the Florida Department of Health tap into any increased federal COVID-19 funds that may become available during state Fiscal Year 2022-23. The House’s decision to allow the money to be spent aligns the chamber with the Senate. The Senate has not accepted the offer, but it most likely will. Meanwhile, time is running out for House and Senate budget negotiators to wrap up their work.
Emergency warehouses snubbed in budget — The House and Senate have not included funding for a $75 million plan to build warehouses to store emergency management equipment, Matt Dixon of POLITICO Florida reports. The request was from the Division of Emergency Management, which currently operates one warehouse in Orlando and three temporary storage facilities set up at the height of the pandemic. Rather than fund new warehouses, lawmakers have included language that would allow DEM to craft a proposal to buy, lease or build warehouses in the future.
“Budget conference: Senate scraps $120M in projects around Moffitt’s Pasco site” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics — The Senate has zeroed out $120 million in proposed funds to improve the area around Moffitt Cancer Center’s upcoming site, a possible loss for Pasco County. The Senate had held firm on the development and infrastructure projects through the first round of budget negotiations this week while the House twice offered no funding for the projects. But on Thursday, Senate negotiators relented, eliminating funds for two projects. One project would give Moffitt and Pasco County $106 million to connect the cancer center’s upcoming 775-acre research campus in west-central Pasco County to the surrounding roadways and community. The roadways would connect into a future extension of Ridge Road, which the Senate also wanted to supplement with $14 million.
“Budget conference: Panhandle leadership helps earmark another $28M in infrastructure projects” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics — Senate transportation and economic development negotiators on Thursday delivered an offer agreeing to several spending suggestions made by the House. In addition to the $28.1 million, negotiators have already agreed to $4.5 million and proposed another $5.9 million in possible funds. The transportation and economic development silo sports a strong showing from Panhandle lawmakers. Senate negotiators are led by Panama City Republican Sen. George Gainer and House negotiators are led by Pace Republican Rep. Jayer Williamson. In addition, the top House budget negotiator is Panama City Republican Rep. Jay Trumbull. The largest infrastructure project within the Panhandle is $5 million for sidewalk improvements in Panama City.
— TALLY 2 —
“Legislature approves update to Marjory Stoneman Douglas school safety law” via Anne Geggis of Florida Politics — Updates to improve school safety and bolster the law passed in the wake of the state’s worst school shooting received unanimous approval from the Senate Thursday. The bill also won unanimous support in the House. The measure updates the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Act, which was passed in 2018 and named for the Parkland high school, where a shooting left 17 dead and 17 others hurt. This year’s update clarifies expectations for public and charter schools and requires new training for school safety officers.
“Legislation creating ‘individualized seizure action plans’ for students now ready for Governor’s desk” via Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics — On Thursday, the Senate unanimously approved a bill (SB 340) by Miami Republican Sen. Garcia allowing parents to draft “individualized seizure action plans” school staff could follow in the event their child has a seizure. The plans would contain the medical and personal information of a student and contact information for his or her parents and health care provider. One day before the Senate’s passage of the bill, the House passed an identical measure by Miami Democratic Rep. Nick Duran and Sunrise Democratic Rep. Mike Gottlieb (HB 173). The legislation is now on its way to DeSantis for his signature.
“Patt Maney’s Baker Act reform package gets gutted in the Senate” via Tom McLaughlin of the Northwest Florida Daily News — Rep. Maney‘s bill to reform Florida’s Baker and Marchman acts was collecting rave reviews from Republicans and Democrats alike as it moved easily through three committee stops and seemed destined for approval on the House floor. “This is a great bill. Thank you for digging in and doing the hard work,” Rep. Joe Geller, a Miami-Dade Democrat, told Maney in late February, just moments before his 68-page reform bill passed unanimously out of the House Appropriations Committee. But after moving out of Appropriations and on to the Health and Human Services Committee for final review before heading to the House floor, what momentum Maney’s bill had gained ground to a sudden halt.
“Medicaid managed care handling of sickle cell patients could be under microscope” via Christine Jordan Sexton of Florida Politics — The state may take a closer look at Medicaid beneficiaries with sickle cell disease and how contracted managed care plans provide care for them. During an afternoon budget conference meeting, Rep. Ávila offered a budget proviso to Sen. Aaron Bean. If agreed to, the change would require the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) to review the numbers of Medicaid enrollees diagnosed with the blood disorder. The analysis also would look at the subset of those who have had two or more emergency room visits or inpatient hospital admissions in 12 months. The Senate has not yet agreed to accept the offer.
“Joe Gruters slightly modifies bill ending permanent alimony ahead of Senate vote” via Kelly Hayes of Florida Politics — After several alterations Thursday evening, the Senate is ready to vote on Sen. Gruters’ controversial bill to end lifelong alimony. This time around, after repeated unsuccessful attempts to pass similar alimony reform measures in recent years, the Sarasota Republican says his bill (SB 1796) is an improvement on past efforts. The measure would repeal court-ordered permanent alimony, leaving bridge-the-gap, rehabilitative, and durational alimony on for all divorces going forward. Gruters did tack on a couple of amendments to the bill Thursday, none of which altered the main purpose of the legislation.
“Senate passes bill easing military medic transition into civilian health care” via Jason Delgado of Florida Politics — The Senate passed a bill Thursday that would fast track military medics into the civilian health care profession in Florida. The bill (SB 466) would require the Board of Governors and the State Board of Education to award college credits to military medics based on their military training and clinical hours. It would also establish a Military Corpsmen and Medics Program of Florida (MCMF) within the Department of Health. The program is designed to help veterans with the health care licensure process and application, plus link them with resume and interview assistance.
“Sour or sweet: House readies for vote on strawberry shortcake as state dessert” via Kelly Hayes of Florida Politics — The House is prepared for a vote on one of the most bitterly contested bills this Session, legislation designating strawberry shortcake with a dollop of whip cream as the state dessert. Rep. Lawrence McClure sponsored the proposal (HB 567). It has been dubbed a “berry sweet” bill by proponents but knocked by some Key lime pie lovers. On Thursday, McClure presented the Senate version of the legislation (SB 1006), filed by Sen. Danny Burgess, for its second hearing in the House after it whipped through the Senate with unanimous approval. Now, all that’s left for the bill is a House vote before it can make its way to the Governor’s desk. The bill hopes to promote Florida agriculture, especially its strawberry industry. As noted in the bill, Plant City is home to the biggest shortcake.
— MORE TALLY —
“Mobile billboard displays DeSantis masked student incident around Florida Capitol building” via Tristan Wood — A mobile billboard displaying a video of DeSantis’ comments Wednesday to high school students is driving around the Florida Capitol building Thursday. The Coronavirus War Room is carrying out the action, a project by the partisan organization Protect Our Care. In a statement to Florida Politics, the organization said the mobile billboard is part of its “Florida Coronavirus Accountability Campaign,” and its purpose is to “remind DeSantis and lawmakers that we will hold him accountable for his shameful and dangerous behavior.” “The Florida Coronavirus Accountability Campaign will work to draw attention to the way Gov. DeSantis’ actions have politicized the pandemic and delayed our return to normalcy,” the statement read.
“High school students walk out of class to protest ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill” via Joe Mario Pedersen of the Orlando Sentinel — Florida students at several high schools stepped out of class Thursday in a statewide protest of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Students across the state began walking out of classrooms as part of a campaign by groups including the Central Florida group “Recall Flagler County School Board,” a student-run activist organization monitoring bigotry and corruption. The founding member of the campaign is Flagler Palm Coast High School student Jack Petocz. “Today, the Florida House passed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Students are angry, frustrated and ready to fight this sickening piece of legislation,” Petocz tweeted in a post on Feb. 24.
—“Tampa Bay students walkout in protest of Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill” via Jeffrey S. Solochek and Marlene Sokol of the Tampa Bay Times
FLiCRA backs nursing home staffing changes — The Florida Life Care Residents Association (FLiCRA), representing 13,000 residents of 60 licensed continuing care retirement communities across Florida, released a statement Thursday in support of legislation that would change staffing requirements at Florida nursing homes. “FLiCRA has always measured its policy positions by taking into account all facts and circumstances that are present,” said FLiCRA president Diane Dalsimer, a resident of John Knox Village in Pompano Beach. “Senate Bill 804 and House Bill 1239 in their current form strike a balance of acknowledging significant staffing shortages while ensuring that appropriate levels of care for some of Florida’s most vulnerable populations are maintained.” Dalsimer added that FLiCRA believes bill sponsors Sen. Ben Albritton and Rep. Lauren Melo acted in “good faith” and that while FLiCRA “would certainly like to see some type of reasonable sunset provision” the current language “represent a positive first step.”
“Math problem: Would bills to change Florida student testing mean more exams or fewer?” via Leslie Postal of the Orlando Sentinel — Florida lawmakers want to scrap big, end-of-year standardized tests and instead give students shorter “check-in” exams, which they say will provide teachers with more timely information on student performance and reduce the time youngsters spend testing. But some teachers and education advocates fear the proposals (SB 1048/HB 1193) will do the opposite. Experts also note that “progress monitoring” — short tests throughout the school year, as lawmakers propose — is already routine practice in most schools. But research shows that test data, though reviewed regularly by teachers, hasn’t led to students scoring higher on end-of-the-year state tests. Republican lawmakers, however, insist their bills will help Florida’s public schools and cut down on testing time in the years ahead.
“Legislature again snubs proposal to place free menstrual products in public schools” via Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics — For the second straight year, legislation that would make tampons and sanitary pads freely available in Florida public schools has died. The proposal, named the “Learning with Dignity Act,” called for school districts to make menstrual hygiene products available at no charge in each school nurse’s office or other physical school facilities for health services. Senate Democratic Leader Book filed the Senate version of the bill (SB 248) in September. Rep. Michael Grieco filed its House companion (HB 175) later in the month. Each was referred to three committees. As was the case with identical bills Book and Grieco filed for the 2021 Legislative Session, neither received a single hearing.
“Seagrass bank bill gives way to seagrass planting strategy” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics — Bills aimed at creating seagrass mitigation banks are dead, but the problem of seagrass losses is not, leading to the emergence of a new plan. Rep. Toby Overdorf said Thursday that he and other interested lawmakers, Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) officials, and environmental professionals are looking at a new special permit process to fast-track seagrass plantings. The plan, which has DEP Secretary Shawn Hamilton on board, could greatly reduce the seven-to-nine month permitting process for seagrass planting in place now, Overdorf said. Throughout Florida’s coastal waters, particularly in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida Bay, and Tampa Bay, seagrasses have been dying off at a crisis rate. That has led, in the past 18 months or so, to record die-offs of manatees, which feed on seagrasses.
— The Revenue Estimating Conference meets to estimate legislation costs, 9 a.m., Room 117 of the Knott Building.
— The Senate convenes for a floor Session, 10 a.m., Senate Chamber.
— The House convenes for a floor Session, 10 a.m., House Chamber.
— The Senate Special Order Calendar Group meets 15 minutes after the floor Session, Room 401 of the Senate Office Building.
— House Rules Committee meets 15 minutes after the House Session adjourns, Room 404 of the House Office Building.
— STATEWIDE —
“First Lady Casey DeSantis is cancer-free, her husband announces” via Steven Lemongello of the Orlando Sentinel — Casey DeSantis is considered cancer-free following treatment and surgery for breast cancer, DeSantis said Thursday. “There are no words to express how truly blessed, grateful, and humbled I am to hear the words cancer-free,” Casey DeSantis said in a statement. The first lady announced her diagnosis in October. She stepped down as chair of the Florida Children and Youth Cabinet shortly afterward and had a reduced public presence over the following months of 2021. This year she began making more appearances, including at her husband’s State of the State address at the state Capitol in January. She completed her final round of chemotherapy shortly afterward. The statement was the first time the DeSantis family revealed she had surgery.
“After 1-year-old died a ‘horrifying’ death, Florida improperly sealed record, judge rules” via Jay Weaver of the Miami Herald — Florida’s child welfare agency violated the state’s public records law when it refused to release the file on the “horrifying” death of a 1-year-old Opa-locka boy who suffered multiple head fractures and showed other signs of being brutalized, a judge ruled Tuesday. “The records should have been released a long time ago,” Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Barbara Areces found at the end of a nearly four-hour hearing. The Department of Children and Families said it kept the records on the death of 22-month-old Rashid Bryant under seal because it had not determined that the child was a victim of abuse or neglect and that the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office asked the agency to wait as the criminal case played out.
“Building gas station where it could pollute this Florida spring would be fuel-ish” via Craig Pittman of Florida Phoenix — Let me tell you about something remarkable that happened the other day involving one of Florida’s springs. It made me smile. Your facial muscles may have a similar reaction. It happened in Wakulla County, which would be a great name for one of those old films that Turner Classic Movies shows on Saturday afternoons. On a piece of piney woods, the Bainbridge-based company announced it planned to build a combination gas station-car wash-convenience store. “They failed to do their due diligence,” Wakulla County Commissioner Chuck Hess told me, chuckling. In the face of much public opposition, the company retreated like a swimmer in the spring.
“Goliath grouper fishing ban lifted in Florida for first time since 1990” via David Fleshler of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel — The Florida wildlife commission lifted a 32-year ban on killing goliath grouper Thursday, in a decision that received strong support from the fishing community and intense opposition from environmentalists. The commission voted to allow up to 200 to be taken a year, a decision that came with a long list of restrictions that reflected the giant fish’s popularity and its vulnerability to overfishing. Although goliaths can grow to 800 pounds, the plan would restrict the catch to those with lengths between 2 feet and 3 feet, which typically means a maximum weight of 32 pounds. Opponents said the species’ recovery is tentative and far from guaranteed, making even a limited catch a poor strategy.
“Amazon joins with nine Florida colleges and universities for free tuition” via Divya Kumar of the Tampa Bay Times — Amazon announced partnerships Thursday with 140 colleges and universities, including nine in Florida, to fully fund tuition and fees for employees. Hourly employees who have worked for Amazon for at least 90 days are eligible for free tuition and fees every year they work at Amazon. “Tuition assistance programs like these are crucial in positioning students to succeed academically and professionally,” said Theodorea Regina Berry, UCF vice provost of Student Learning and Academic Success and dean of the College of Undergraduate Studies, in a news release.
— 2022 —
“DeSantis fundraises off his scolding of masked high schoolers” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics — DeSantis is yet again attempting to parlay COVID-19 controversy into campaign cash. The Governor’s re-election campaign sent an essay to donors on the topic of “speaking the truth” about a so-called “COVID theater.” The fundraising appeal doubled as both a defense of DeSantis’ decision to scold high school students who were wearing masks at a news conference of his Wednesday and an opportunity to juxtapose that controversy with some “whataboutism” toward leading Democrats. “While in Tampa, I told a group of students masks were ridiculous, and they didn’t have to wear them if they didn’t want to. Predictably, the leftist propagandists in our media had a meltdown and called me a “bully” for allowing children to breathe fresh air,” the Governor groused.
“Candidate who lost a 2020 Democratic Primary by less than half a percentage point may run for Ted Deutch congressional seat” via Anthony Man of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel — Chad Klitzman, who 18 months ago lost an exceedingly close Democratic Primary, is considering a candidacy for the congressional district currently represented by U.S. Rep. Deutch. Christine Hunschofsky, who, as Mayor of Parkland, led her community in the aftermath of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre, may also run. She is currently a state Representative from northwest Broward. Deutch, a West Boca Democrat, upended the South Florida political world with his announcement Monday that he would resign from the Broward-Palm Beach County district he’s represented since 2010. On Oct. 1, he will become CEO of the American Jewish Committee. A Klitzman congressional campaign, if he wins, also would upend the political establishment.
“Broadcast news legend Ken Amaro launches Jacksonville City Council run” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics — Amaro is the latest former broadcaster to turn his hand to politics, filing Thursday in City Council District 1. Amaro will run as a Republican in the 2023 election cycle. Amaro is among the most recognized figures in the history of Jacksonville television journalism. He’s known for his gruff voice, bow ties, incisive interview questions, and, most recently, his “I’m Telling Ken” segments on First Coast News, where he fought for viewers who experienced injustices they couldn’t deal with themselves. Now, he is seeking to turn nearly four decades of experience into a four-year stint on the City Council and flip a seat in the process: term-limited incumbent Joyce Morgan, a former broadcast journalist like Amaro, is a Democrat.
— CORONA FLORIDA —
“‘Unbelieve’ the lie: Florida Surgeon General says masks ‘never’ saved lives during pandemic” via Sam Sachs of WFLA — Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo slammed the use of cloth masks and the doctors who recommend their use on Thursday. Ladapo commented during a news conference alongside DeSantis and Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis. “It’d be one thing if, when you’re proven right, people would acknowledge it,” Ladapo said. “‘Oh, I’m sorry, you’re right, let’s try to do things better, do you have any other ideas?’ Nope, none of that, it’s just like nothing happened. ‘It’s OK for the kids to take the masks off now. And OK, maybe we didn’t have to have a passport. But yeah, that’s the plate we’ve been served.” Ladapo continued, saying he hoped other lawmakers were watching Florida’s Legislature and that it was important to “have a voice to push back against the abject dishonesty” he said has “deeply” infiltrated the medical and scientific establishments.
“Jerry Demings lifts mask mandate on Orange County employees as omicron wave subsides” via Ryan Gillespie and Stephen Hudak of the Orlando Sentinel — Orange County employees will no longer have to wear masks at work, Mayor Demings said Thursday, a sign of improvement in the battle with the omicron variant. Demings mandated masks for employees at work as the highly contagious variant rapidly spread across the region with sky-high infection totals and positivity rates as high as 40%, which now have dipped to 6.4% over the past two weeks. “We want to be cautious, but we’ll be relaxing our mask mandate for our employees inside our facilities,” Demings said, noting exceptions for employees at county medical facilities and the corrections department, where virus spread has been prevalent.
“Tampa City Council will resume in-person meetings with the public on March 17” via Daniel Figueroa of Florida Politics — The Tampa City Council will again welcome the public in its City Hall chambers beginning with its March 17 meeting. It will be the first time members of the public and members of the City Council are in the same room in City Hall since suspending in-person meetings in 2020. The public return comes three days shy of the second anniversary of an executive order suspending in-person meetings. That directive expired at the end of 2020 and in-person meetings were moved to the much larger Tampa Convention Center. In July, meetings were moved back to City Hall, but public members waited in a separate room and addressed council members remotely.
— CORONA NATION —
“Biden unveils new COVID-19 strategy for next phase of response” via Stephanie Armour and Brianna Abbott of The Wall Street Journal — Moving the United States beyond the COVID-19 pandemic will require vigilance for new variants, measures to prevent businesses and schools from shutting down, and continued global vaccine donations. The plan underscores the administration’s shifting focus from responding to the pandemic crisis to a new normal that focuses on managing the disease. But the road map relies heavily on Congress approving billions of dollars in new COVID-19 relief funding. The administration last month told Congress it needs an additional $30 billion in coronavirus response aid. The request includes $17.9 billion for medical countermeasures like antivirals, $4.9 billion for testing capacity and $2.7 billion to combat future variants.
“U.S. to share some coronavirus technologies with WHO” via Dan Diamond of The Washington Post — The Biden administration will share U.S. government-devised coronavirus technologies with the WHO, a policy shift intended to allow other countries to replicate some American scientific breakthroughs and better fight the pandemic abroad, federal officials said Thursday. Under the plan, some technologies developed by the National Institutes of Health will be licensed to the WHO’s COVID-19 Technology Access Pool, senior NIH official Anthony Fauci told reporters. The technologies will also be sub-licensed to the United Nations-backed Medicines Patent Pool. Fauci declined to detail which technologies would be made available for licensing by other countries, saying the plan’s details were “still being ironed out.”
“The Surgeon General calls on Big Tech to turn over COVID-19 misinformation data.” via Davey Alba of The New York Times — U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy on Thursday formally requested that major tech platforms submit information about the scale of COVID-19 misinformation on social networks, search engines, crowdsourced platforms, e-commerce platforms and instant messaging systems. A request for information from the Surgeon General’s office demanded that tech platforms send data and analysis on the prevalence of COVID-19 misinformation on their sites, starting with common examples of vaccine misinformation documented by the CDC. The notice asks the companies to submit “exactly how many users saw or may have been exposed to instances of COVID-19 misinformation,” as well as aggregate data on demographics that may have been disproportionately exposed to or affected by the misinformation.
— CORONA ECONOMICS —
“Fewer Americans apply for jobless benefits last week” via Matt Ott of The Associated Press — Fewer Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, reflecting a low number of layoffs across the economy. Jobless claims fell by 18,000 to 215,000 for the week ending February 26, from 233,000 the previous week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The four-week average for claims, which compensates for weekly volatility, fell by 6,000 to 230,500. In total, 1,476,000 Americans were collecting jobless aid the week that ended Feb. 12, a small uptick of 2,000 from the previous week’s revised number, which was its lowest level since March 14, 1970. First-time applications for jobless aid generally track the pace of layoffs, which are back down to fairly healthy pre-pandemic levels.
— MORE CORONA —
“Companies bet you’re ready to test at home for more than COVID-19” via Austen Hufford of The Wall Street Journal — The COVID-19 pandemic has hastened consumers’ willingness to test for more medical conditions at home, test makers said, expanding the market for self-diagnostic products. Manufacturers are developing new types of at-home tests, including for flu and strep throat, aimed at consumers increasingly monitoring and managing their health through fitness apps and smartwatches. BMFB Fertility Inc. received clearance from the FDA in February 2020 for its Proov test, designed to help women measure their hormone levels and know when they are most likely to become pregnant in a given month. A typical kit includes 20 testing strips, allowing a woman to test daily, which the company said would be tough to achieve through visits to a doctor’s office.
“How the coronavirus steals the sense of smell” via Roni Caryn Rabin of The New York Times — Few of COVID-19’s peculiarities have piqued as much interest as anosmia, the abrupt loss of smell that has become a well-known hallmark of the disease. COVID-19 patients lose this sense even without a stuffy nose; the loss can make food taste like cardboard and coffee smell noxious, occasionally persisting after other symptoms have resolved. Scientists are now beginning to unravel the biological mechanisms, which have been a mystery. The new work, along with earlier studies, settles the debate over whether the coronavirus infects the nerve cells that detect odors: It does not. But the virus does attack other supporting cells that line the nasal cavity, the researchers found.
“During the omicron surge, Black New Yorkers were hospitalized at a rate more than twice that of white residents.” via Joseph Goldstein of The New York Times — Black New Yorkers were hospitalized with COVID-19 at more than twice the rate of white New Yorkers during the recent omicron wave, an indication that the health disparities that have marked the entire pandemic are in some respects deepening. Since the devastating first wave of COVID-19 cases in early 2020, Black and Latino New Yorkers have been hospitalized and died from the virus at higher rates than white and Asian New Yorkers. There have been many factors contributing to this, ranging from higher rates of underlying health conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure in some groups to varying exposure risk at work or in crowded, multigenerational homes, as well as access to top-tier hospitals.
— PRESIDENTIAL —
“Many Democrats applaud Biden charting a new path, but some fear it may be too little and too late” via Sean Sullivan, Marianna Sotomayor and Annie Linskey of The Washington Post — Many mainstream Democrats hailed Biden’s first State of the Union address as a sorely needed course correction eight months before the midterm elections, charting a populist, pro-American message that some hope will resonate with voters turned off by the left-wing of the Party. But some in the Party said they fear it may be too late to undo the damage Democrats have already sustained from a politically disastrous winter, with Biden’s approval plunging to new lows in recent weeks. Others fumed about internal divisions that threatened to muddle the Party’s pitch, pointing to responses to Biden’s address from three House Democrats, each on behalf of a different wing of the party coalition.
“Biden risks progressives, Blacks with pivot to the center” via Steve Peoples, Alan Fram, and Farnoush Amiri of The Associated Press — Biden is signaling an election year shift to the center, embracing a strategy he hopes will protect fragile Democratic majorities in Congress. But he’s risking a revolt from key voices across his Party’s sprawling coalition. In his first State of the Union address, the President embraced Republican calls to strengthen the nation’s southern border and barely mentioned climate change. He glossed over concerns about voting rights and spent little time heralding his historic decision to nominate the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court. On domestic issues, he was perhaps most blunt in disavowing the push from some Black Lives Matter activists to “defund the police.” The calculated messages marked a clear effort to reset the political climate for Democrats.
— D.C. MATTERS —
“Rick Scott says his plan could change after Mitch McConnell rebuke” via Reid Wilson of The Hill — The chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) said Wednesday that he would continue to work on the policy agenda he released last week, emphasizing that it was his slate of proposals rather than the Party’s after it received pushback from Senate Minority Leader McConnell, a Kentucky Republican. In an interview with The Hill on Wednesday, GOP Sen. Scott of Florida said Republican candidates across the country would run their races independent of his plans, even as national Democrats signaled they would use the proposal to cast Republicans as tax raisers who would also end programs like Social Security and Medicaid. “I put out some policy ideas. I’m going to keep working on this,” Scott said.
“Men arrested with firearms in D.C. near embassy tell police they were volunteering to fight in war in Ukraine, officials say” via Peter Hermann of The Washington Post — Two men arrested with firearms on Thursday near the Ukrainian Embassy in Georgetown told police they had driven from Indiana to volunteer to fight in the war in Ukraine. One of the men was wearing military fatigues and police seized a long gun and two handguns during the arrest, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to detail an ongoing police investigation. Uniformed members of the U.S. Secret Service arrested the men shortly after 9 a.m. at Wisconsin Avenue and M Street NW, according to a statement from the agency and D.C. police. That is a little more than two blocks from the embassy on M Street.
— CRISIS —
“Justice Dept. says defendant in first Jan. 6 Capitol attack trial ‘lit the match’ of breach” via Spencer S. Hsu and Rachel Weiner of The Washington Post — The first defendant to stand trial in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol “lit the match” that led members of a pro-Trump mob to push past police and drive lawmakers from the chambers where they were set to certify Biden’s 2020 election victory, prosecutors said Wednesday. “A mob needs leaders and this man, Guy Wesley Reffitt, drove all the way from home in Texas to D.C. to step up and fulfill that role,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey S. Nestler told a panel of jurors in a federal courthouse during opening statements in the case. Reffitt, a pandemic-idled oil rig manager and alleged member of the right-wing anti-government movement Three Percenters, was “the tip of this mob’s spear” in the worst assault on the Capitol since the War of 1812, prosecutors said.
— EPILOGUE TRUMP —
Tweet, tweet:
The January 6 Committee has testimony that when Trump tweeted about Mike Pence not having the courage to overturn the election, that Trump knew that the rioters had breached security at the Capitol (and of course Pence was inside the building then) pic.twitter.com/ohlKz0o5dk
— Elizabeth Landers (@ElizLanders) March 3, 2022
“Donald Trump’s border wall has been breached more than 3,000 times by smugglers, CBP records show” via Nick Miroff of The Washington Post — Mexican smuggling gangs have sawed through new segments of border wall 3,272 times over the past three years. The government spent $2.6 million to repair the breaches during the 2019 to 2021 fiscal years, the CBP records show. While the agency has acknowledged that smugglers are able to hack through the new barriers built by the Trump administration, the maintenance records show damage has been more widespread than previously known, pointing to the structure’s limitations as an impediment to illegal crossings. Smuggling gangs typically cut the barrier with inexpensive power tools widely available at retail hardware stores, including angle grinders and demolition saws.
— LOCAL NOTES —
“Leon County Commissioner Kristin Dozier launches challenge against Mayor John Dailey” via Jeff Burlew of the Tallahassee Democrat — Dozier has filed to run for Tallahassee mayor, setting up a long-anticipated challenge against her one-time colleague, Dailey. Her entry into the mayor’s race, something she’d been considering since at least last year, comes fresh off her attempt to thwart a controversial $27 million appropriation in Blueprint sales-tax proceeds for Doak Campbell Stadium. Dozier was on the losing side of a 7-5 vote by the Blueprint board last week in favor of the proposal. She led efforts to kill the funding while Dailey was a chief proponent.
“St. Petersburg to use all $45 million stimulus for affordable housing, health” via Colleen Wright of the Tampa Bay Times — Months ago, residents who attended a series of workshops voted on which priorities deserved the most funding from the city’s share of $45 million from the American Rescue Plan Act. A total of 557 people power-ranked five categories allowed by the federal government. Housing affordability got the most votes, followed by health and social equity, infrastructure, economic recovery and resilience, and public health and safety. Funding was allocated proportionally. But as rapidly rising rents continue to distress renters, some of whom are pushing for drastic measures such as rent control, City Council members asked to allocate more money to affordable housing.
“Tampa City Council to explore reversing approval of $100M Hanna Ave. Project contract” via Daniel Figueroa IV of Florida Politics — Council members unanimously approved the more than $100 million city center project on Hanna Avenue in the historically Black neighborhood of East Tampa in November. The vote approved a design-build contract with DPR Construction, piggybacking off a $1.2 million contract from 2015. But in the months since reapproving the award with the project’s massive change in scope, members of the public from the engineering and building communities, along with residents of East Tampa, have complained about transparency and fairness in the city’s process of awarding a contract 100 times larger than originally anticipated and more than six years after the initial contract was improved. The Council, so far, has listened.
“Manic campaign, distorted messaging surrounds Sarasota County vote on how to elect commissioners” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics — Emotions are running high in Sarasota County, and the hottest issue is a matter normally left to the wonks and good government. Voters on March 8 will decide in a Special Election how they elect their County Commissioners. The race has featured six-figure donations to mysterious political committees, as well as extreme campaign material conflating County Commission votes with the #StopTheSteal movement. Just four years ago, Sarasota County voters decided to elect Commissioners through single-member voting. Since then, the County has undergone redistricting twice and held one election where voters only picked a Commissioner for their district.
“Sarasota County Schools: No name-calling during meetings” via Sue Erwin of the North Port Sun — Before hearing from residents who wanted to speak at this week’s Sarasota County Schools Board meeting, board chair Jane Goodwin reminded speakers, once again, to be civil. “Public comment should not be the time to call each other names,” she said. Board member Shirley Brown said she’d been called a communist and a child abuser. “These insults are uncalled for and very rude,” she said. A vote for the new public comment policy passed 3-2 with Board Members Bridget Zeigler and Karen Rose opposing. The policy will limit public comments to two minutes. “The state is advising to limit people to one minute, so I think this is a fair option,” Goodwin said.
“‘A real backlog’: St. Johns County sales tax for infrastructure advances” via Sheldon Gardner of The St. Augustine Record — St. Johns County commissioners chose to advance a sales tax referendum proposal this week, moving the item to a final hearing March 15, after county officials shared why they believe the county is facing at least a half-billion-dollar infrastructure backlog. Commissioner Henry Dean said he supports sending the proposed sales tax increase from 6.5 cents to 7.5 cents on the dollar over 10 years, starting Jan. 1, 2023, to a vote. That would bring in about $500 million over 10 years to help fund a hefty backlog of infrastructure projects. “We’re talking about a real backlog that if we don’t address … at least in my opinion our quality of life of all our county residents, our families and their children, is going to suffer because we did not address this,” Dean said.
“Nothing like a good audit to stir up the Brevard County Commission” via Rob Landers of Florida Today — Last week, I included a story about Brevard County Commissioner Bryan Lober defending purchases he’s made on his county purchasing card. The card is similar to a corporate credit card that he and his staff use for administrative needs, office supplies, etc. Some of the spending on the purchasing cards assigned to Lober and a member of his staff also bought items destined for other county entities and nonprofit organizations. Lober says those purchases were proper, and stemmed from a $5 million allocation each commission office was authorized to use at the Commissioner’s discretion.
“‘Humiliating and taxing’: Panhandling ban draws legal challenge in Palm Beach County” via Austen Erblat of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel — The Florida Justice Institute, a legal-aid organization, filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Palm Beach County, arguing that the County’s ordinance against panhandling violates the First Amendment. The ban states, “No person shall be upon or go upon any road for the purpose of displaying information of any kind,” and “No person shall be upon or go upon any road for the purpose of distributing materials or goods or soliciting business or charitable contributions of any kind.” According to the ordinance, violations can result in a fine of up to $500, 60 days in jail, or a combination of the two. The ordinance was deemed unconstitutional by Palm Beach County Judge Sherri Collins in a separate criminal case heard in November 2021.
“A Florida man and his girlfriend had just reconciled. Then, she threw his dog off a 7th-floor balcony, police say.” via Jonathan Edwards of The Washington Post — Eric Adeson watched his on-again-off-again girlfriend throw his cellphone from the seventh-floor balcony of his Florida condominium on Sunday. After she did the same thing with his keys, he warned her that he was going downstairs to call the police. Before he could, Adeson watched Shelley Nicole Vaughn pick up his 3-year-old pug, Bucky, Clearwater police wrote in court documents. She smiled, Adeson said. Then, Vaughn threw the 13-pound dog off the balcony, according to Adeson and police. The fall killed Bucky. Vaughn has been charged with felony cruelty to animals, domestic battery and misdemeanor criminal mischief. According to Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office records, she posted a $21,150 bond for the three charges and was released from jail Wednesday afternoon.
— TOP OPINION —
“Foreign-born kids here alone need help, not DeSantis’ heartlessness” via the South Florida Sun-Sentinel editorial board — Social media erupted Wednesday after DeSantis reprimanded high school students for wearing masks at the Governor’s photo opportunity in Tampa. They are the unaccompanied children who entered the country across the border with Mexico. Most are seeking asylum from conditions in Central America. The federal government is placing them with sponsors until their hearings. Enter DeSantis, who bases every policy decision not on how it can help Florida but on how he believes it can help him become the Republican presidential nominee in 2024. DeSantis wants to close off state-licensed shelters and foster homes to some of these children as part of his campaign to falsely claim Biden supports “open borders.”
— OPINIONS —
“How can DeSantis, whose wife had cancer, bully strangers into unmasking? Geez!” via Fabiola Santiago of the Miami Herald — Don’t listen to DeSantis, a follower of debunked science. Keep that mask on indoors when social distancing isn’t possible, and it’s prudent to do so, Floridians. DeSantis has a masking complex not even a wife can fix. How can a man whose wife was being treated for cancer thoughtlessly walk up to strangers — active high school students at that — and bully them into taking off the masks protecting them and others from COVID-19 infection? No, face coverings aren’t “ridiculous,” as the Governor called them. Why take a needless risk? To make a political statement, a dangerous one, but in line with DeSantis’ mismanagement of the coronavirus in Florida from the onset.
— TODAY’S SUNRISE —
Florida legislators voted to ban most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, a move that would severely restrict access to the procedure in a state that for decades has served as a refuge for women from across the South.
Also on today’s Sunrise:
— The Florida Supreme Court has approved House and Senate redistricting maps. But it’s not over yet. Sunrise talks with Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics.
— Gov. DeSantis is trying to revive stalled legislation to protect doctors who want to prescribe unconventional treatments.
— The Governor also deliver good medical news about his wife’s cancer.
— The goodbyes continue for legislators leaving the Capitol. We’ve got a highlight from the farewell of Sen. Audrey Gibson.
To listen, click on the image below:
— WEEKEND TV —
Facing South Florida with Jim DeFede on CBS 4 in Miami: The Sunday show provides viewers with an in-depth look at South Florida politics and other issues affecting the region.
In Focus with Allison Walker on Bay News 9/CF 13: A discussion of the overall costs of child care, and how the pandemic has shaped and shifted how parents approach making those costs more affordable. Joining Allison are Reps. Kamia Brown and Jackie Toledo, and Early Learning Coalition of Orange County CEO Karen Willis.
Political Connections Bay News 9 in Tampa/St. Pete: A recap of Biden’s State of the Union with reaction from Florida lawmakers; and a look at the 2022 Legislative Session as it heads into its final week.
Political Connections on CF 13 in Orlando: A discussion of Biden’s first State of the Union Address, with analysis from former Orange County clerk of Court Eddie Fernandez and Orange County Democrats Chair Wes Hodge.
This Week in Jacksonville with Kent Justice on Channel 4 WJXT: Jacksonville City Council member Rory Diamond and Jacksonville University President Tim Cost.
This Week in South Florida on WPLG-Local10 News (ABC): U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch.
— ALOE —
“Apple expected to reveal new iPhone SE at next week’s event” via Allison Prang of The Wall Street Journal — Apple Inc. is hosting its latest product-launch event next week and is expected to reveal a new, cheaper version of the iPhone. The company is expected to unveil a new version of the iPhone SE, a cheaper version of its flagship devices that it has sold for about $400. The analysts said that the smartphone is expected to come with 5G capability, a cellular standard already available on its other phones that holds the promise of ultrafast connectivity. This includes better quality of streaming, video chats and other uses.
“Live Oak International returns for 31st year with equine events, Clydesdales, beer garden” via Danielle Johnson of the Ocala Star-Banner — Nearly 5,000 acres of rolling hills and pastures at Live Oak Plantation are spotted with oak trees — naturally — that are covered in Spanish moss swaying in the breeze. Drivers and riders are busy walking the courses in the background in preparation for the 31st running of Live Oak International, a historic jumping and combined driving event at the Weber family’s farm in Ocala. “This is what makes Ocala Ocala,” Mayor Kent Guinn said at the farm on Wednesday, gesturing to the acres of natural land behind him.
— HAPPY BIRTHDAY —
Best wishes to Trent Muntz, former aide to Senate President-Designate Kathleen Passidomo, and Alex Young, legislative assistant to Sen. Danny Burgess.
___
Sunburn is authored and assembled by Peter Schorsch, Phil Ammann, Daniel Dean, Renzo Downey, Jacob Ogles, and Drew Wilson.
